One of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of a football player's preparation is film study. A surprising amount of information can be learned just by looking at things from a different perspective.

Film study is much more than simply watching a replay on a screen. Often times, freshmen will arrive at a major college football program with extremely limited knowledge of film study because there isn't as much emphasis on it in high school. As a result, the newcomers have to learn how to properly study.

A prime example of the film study learning curve was current starting quarterback Christian Ponder.